Men's Basketball Posts 65-60 Victory Over Bucknell

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Senior guard Keith Simmons
(Kingston, N.Y.) totaled 22 points, four rebounds, three assists,
two blocks and two steals, to lead the Holy Cross men's basketball
team to a 65-60 victory over Bucknell at the Hart Center. The
Crusaders improve to 12-6 overall and 3-0 in the Patriot League
with the victory, while the Bison fall to 8-8 overall and 2-1 in
the conference. Holy Cross also snapped Bucknell's streak of 23
straight victories against Patriot League foes.

The Crusaders opened the game with a quick 5-0 lead, and were
able to stay ahead for the remainder of the first half. The Holy
Cross lead would range from four to eight points, until it
eventually took a 31-25 advantage into the locker room.

After the break, the Crusaders opened the second half with a 7-2
run to build their lead up to double figures (38-27). Bucknell came
back with an 8-2 spurt a few minutes later to make it a four-point
game (42-38 with 12:13 left), but Holy Cross responded with an 8-2
run of its own to build the lead back up to 10 points at the
8:23-mark (50-40).

The Crusader lead would grow as large as 14 points (57-43 with
7:16 to play), before the Bison started to rally. Bucknell used a
9-1 run to get back into the game, and eventually cut the Holy
Cross lead to one point (61-60) with just under a minute remaining.
But the Bison would not score again, as the Crusaders hit four of
five free throw attempts in the final minute to seal the win.